In September, construction will begin on a 460,000 square-foot shopping plaza along Hylan Boulevard that is expected to revitalize the community. Developers took NY1's Jared Smith on a tour Thursday.
You've probably already seen the signs along Hylan Boulevard: some stores are having going out of business sales, while others, like Pathmark, just closing their doors for good.
Soon a $150 million, developers predict a 460,000 square-foot redevelopment project will turn the antiquated shopping center into a high-end retail paradise.
"We're calling it the 'Hub of Staten Island,'" said Joshua Weinkranz of Kimco Realty. "This will be the place that people can come and congregate and spend time."
Weinkranz is one of three executives with Kimco Realty that walked NY1 through the plans and revealed what the new shopping plaza will look like, seen in the video above.
Several of the stores in the back portion of the shopping center have already closed, and the rest are anticipated to be closed by September when construction on the project starts.
Developers say they hope to have a grand opening set by summer of 2019.
Other shops in the front of the plaza, like Modell's and CVS, will remain open during construction, and some that were closed may even re-open after the project is complete.
"Here, we've got a sprawling project, which is going to have plenty of room to shop, eat, dine, walk around — [there's] park benches, all that kind of stuff," said Tom Pira of Kimco Realty.
"It will be the only project like this on Staten Island, and it really will become, I think, one of the main draws for the local consumers," said Weinkranz.